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The prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of childbearing age is up to 60% in developed nations.1 We sought to determine whether maternal adiposity is associated with aortic wall thickening in newborns, prior to prolonged postnatal exposure to potential confounders; and if so, whether this association is independent of birth weight, a known risk factor for later cardiovascular disease.

Twenty-three pregnant women, age 35.6 years (SD 4.8; range 27.0–44.6), were recruited at 16.3 weeks gestation (SD 2.2; range 11.4–20.6) from The Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Women who had quit smoking in the previous 6 months were excluded; however those who continued to smoke were not. Maternal height and weight were measured at study entry. Overweight and obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI)≥25 kg/m2, which we believe will not …

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